Mar 16, 2012
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Corned Beef and Cabbage

The recipe for this traditional Irish dish calls for brining beef brisket for 5 days to "corn" it. If you want to omit this step, buy 5 lbs. of corned beef from your butcher and proceed to step two.
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Corned Beef and Cabbage Enlarge Image Credit: Todd Coleman
SERVES 10

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp. allspice
1 tbsp. cloves
1 tbsp. coriander
1 tbsp. crushed red chile flakes
1 tbsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp. whole black peppercorns
5 bay leaves, crumbled
1 1/4 cups kosher salt, plus more to taste
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. pink salt
1 5-lb. first-cut beef brisket
4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
3 lbs. small new potatoes, peeled
1 head green or Savoy cabbage, cored and shredded
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine spices and 3 bay leaves in a 12″ skillet over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan constantly, until spices are toasted and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer 3/4 of the mixture (reserving the rest in a covered jar) to a 5-qt. pot and add 8 cups water, kosher salt, sugar, and pink salt. Bring to a simmer; remove pot from heat and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate brine until chilled. Add brisket and weigh it down with a plate so brisket is submerged. Refrigerate for 5 days.

2. Drain corned beef and rinse. Transfer beef to a 5-qt. pot along with the reserved pickling spices, garlic, and onion. Cover corned beef with cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer until corned beef is tender, about 1 hour. Remove pot from heat and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, put potatoes into a 4-qt. pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender; drain. Put cabbage into a 3-qt. pot over medium-low heat, season with salt, add lemon juice and 1/2 cup water, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender, about 30 minutes. To serve, transfer potatoes and cabbage to a large serving platter. Transfer corned beef to a cutting board, thinly slice beef across the grain, and transfer to the platter. Spoon some of the cooking liquid over the beef and serve warm.

Pairing Note: Porterhouse Wrasslers XXXX Stout balances this briny dish with malty sweetness and a bracing hoppy bitterness.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #135

Ratings & Reviews (4)

Your recipe calls for cooking five pounds of corned beef for one hour. Did you perhaps mean one hour per pound?
When you call for cooking the beef for 1 hour, that is certainly a typo.
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I agree with the previous reviews. The beef didn't cook long enough. The meat was still tough and not tender at all. It also seemed very salty.
I assume the cooking time should be 1 hour PER POUND? I've seen 50 min per pound in other recipes. Also, as to the other comment on saltiness, most recipes suggest some version of "desalination", either leaving it in fresh cold water overnight or changing the boiling water multiple times during cooking.

Fix the cooking time and the desalination and this should be a solid recipe.
Corned Beef and Cabbage 1 5 1 4

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